Ontario making GO Transit free for veterans, members of Canadian Armed Forces

British Columbia’s Crown utility says crews have restored power to 95 per cent of some 290,000 businesses and homes that were in the dark at some point Monday as strong winds battered coastal areas and parts of the central Interior.

BC Hydro says crews have been working around the clock to replace dozens of spans of power lines as well as power poles knocked down by toppled trees.

Environment Canada had issued now-lifted wind warnings for most of the south and central coast, including Metro Vancouver, where the weather office said gusts of wind were expected to reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

A statement from BC Hydro says it expects to restore power throughout Tuesday to most of the remaining customers whose lights remain out.

But the utility says it’s possible the outage will continue for “small pockets” in areas with significant damage.

The outage map shows close to 10,000 customers remain without power in the Lower Mainland and on the Sunshine Coast, with about 5,500 on Vancouver Island.

Environment Canada has also lifted winter storm warnings that covered the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt and Highway 3 from the Paulson summit area to the Kootenay Pass, which saw significant snow overnight.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

EDMONTON – Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says her department is actively trying to recruit physicians who specialize in transgender health care.

Earlier this year, Premier Danielle Smith said her government would begin efforts to attract those specialists so Albertans wouldn’t have to travel out of province for care.

LaGrange says they are in talks with two specialists.

Last week, Smith’s government introduced a bill that prohibits doctors from treating those under 16 seeking gender-affirming surgery.

Over the weekend, Smith’s United Conservative Party members voted to urge the government to go further and classify “sex alteration practices” as elective cosmetic procedures so the cost is not placed on the taxpayer.

LaGrange says her ministry has not heard any concerns about the procedures and says the province has made a commitment to continue providing gender-affirming care to adults.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

MARTENSVILLE, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Health Authority says people who ate food from a pizza restaurant near Saskatoon last month may have been exposed to typhoid fever.

It says people may have been exposed if they consumed products from the Domino’s in Martensville.

Anyone who got sick after eating food from the business between Oct. 11 and Oct. 19 is being asked to see a health-care professional or call the province’s HealthLine.

Typhoid fever is spread through food or water contaminated with the bacteria.

It’s a serious illness that can cause fever, rash and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Infections are rare and can be treated with antibiotics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.